Detecting Diabetic Retinopathy Using Machine Learning Algorithms: A Review

Diabetic retinopathy, a condition resulting from prolonged high blood sugar levels that damage the retina, can cause vision impairment and, if untreated, lead to blindness. With advances in medical imaging and the availability of fundus image collections such as Madrid Messidor and DRIVE, computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems have become instrumental in identifying and categorizing cases. Machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence, has demonstrated remarkable success in medical image processing, showing great potential for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy—a condition often challenging to diagnose in its early stages due to a lack of symptoms. This review examines prior studies leveraging machine learning algorithms, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), support vector machines (SVMs), and k-nearest neighbors (KNN), for diabetic retinopathy detection using fundus image datasets. It also explores existing challenges, including dataset variability, computational demands, and the generalizability of models across diverse populations. Highlighting methodologies, datasets, and performance metrics like accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, this article aims to provide a cohesive understanding of the current landscape, delineate strengths and limitations, and suggest directions for future research.